Or treatment of textile threads and yarns

ABSTRACT

A textile treatment sleeve has a shell, which may be cylindrical or conical. The shell has uniformly distributed elements yielding in two diagonal directions and is thereby capable of shortening axially and radially. The shell also has rigid diagonal webs connecting the uniformly distributed yielding elements.

United States Patent lnventor Josef Egyplien Aachen, Germany Appl. No. 831,955

Filed June 10, 1969 Patented Feb. 9. 1971 Assignce Messrs Jos Zimmerman a partnership Priority June 15, 1968 Germany 1,760,651

SLEEVE FOR TREATMENT OF TEXTILE THREADS AND YARNS 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl.... 242/118.ll

Int. Cl B65h 75/20, B65h 75/24 [50] Field ofSearch ..242/l18.11, 118.1, 118.2, l18,77.2;68/198, 189

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,818,222 12/1957 Scholl 242/] 18.11 3,465,984 9/1969 Tigges et al 242/1 18.1 1

Primary ExaminerGeorge F. Mautz ArtorneyMason, F enwick & Lawrence ABSTRACT: A textile treatment sleeve has a shell, which may be cylindrical or conical. The shell has uniformly distributed elements yielding in two diagonal directions and is thereby capable of shortening axially and radially. The shell also has rigid diagonal webs connecting the uniformly distributed yielding elements.

PATENIEDFEB sun SHEEI 1 BF 2 I Ir WE! won Ava/ RQMW/QF F Joe E w r N Y ATTORNEYS PATENTED rEa elem I SHEET 2 BF 2 INVENTOP Io 4a: EGYPTIIN mawwfgwmun ATTORNSY?) SLEEVE FOR TREATMENT OF TEXTILE THREADS AND YARNS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a sleeve of thermoplastic material with a cylindrical or conical shell, for the heat and/or wet treatment of threads and yarnsv For such treatment, threads and yarns are often wound on textile sleeves and subjected to the heat and/or wet treatment in this state. The heat treatment may be a shrinking treatment and the wet treatment may be dyeing of the threads and yarns.

lt is known to provide, for shrinking of threads and yarns, a sleeve of thermoplastic synthetic material, known as a shrinking sleeve, which can be compressed, at the required shrinking temperature, in radial direction under the action of the material to be shn'nked and which remains in the compressed state after shrinking due to plastic deformation.

ln the known shrinking sleeve the shell of the sleeve is formed with longitudinal slots uniformly distributed around its circumference, these slots subdividing the shell of the sleeve into a number of shell elements. Further, in this shrinking sleeve, the shell elements are interconnected with the aid of connecting members which form hinge points which, due to the shrinkage of the material by heat, permit the shell elements to move with reference to one another and in the direction of the axis of the sleeve.

It is also known to provide a sleeve of thermoplastic synthetic material for the purpose of dyeing threads and yarns, a so-called dyeing sleeve which, for the purpose of reducing its volume and the volume of the threads and yarns wound on it, can be compressed in the axial direction and which, when dyeing under the application of heat, remains substantially in the axially compressed state after completion of dyeing.

The known dyeing sleeve comprises a sleeve shell composed of rigid coaxial rings disposed at uniform axial distances apart and of webs interconnecting the rings and being elastically and/or plastically deflectable in axial direction. The webs interconnecting the rings have at least one portion inclined with reference to the longitudinal direction of the sleeve shell and are uniformly distributed around the sleeve shell. Further, preferably the webs are V-shaped and the limps of the V point in the same direction. Therein, moreover, the webs disposed between two rings are provided at their apex zones with an inner stabilizing ring.

However, for many applications of sleeves for the heat and/or wet treatment of threads and yarns it is desirable that, when these sleeves are axially compressed, their diameter should simultaneously be reduced, and when they are compressed in radial direction, their axial extent should be reduced.

One of these applications is the treatment of texturated yarns, for example, curled yarns sold under the trade name Helanca." For treatment, these yarns are wound in more or less stretched condition on the sleeves. When the textile sleeves with the wound yarn are subsequently axially compressed, the yam tends to expand radially towards the outside as well as radially towards the inside. However, if a sufficient reduction of the diameter of the sleeve does not take place simultaneously with the axial compression, there results in the wound yarn greater compression of the inner layers of the yarn than of the intermediate and outer layers. This differential compression of the yarn results in different results of the treatment within the wound yarn, such as uneven dyeing and changes in the curl, and this is very undesirable.

The invention has the object of providing a textile sleeve of thermoplastic material having a cylindrical or conical shell, for heat and/or wet treatment of threads and yarns, wherein the sleeve undergoes with axial compression simultaneously a positive reduction in diameter, and with radial compression simultaneously a positive reduction of its axial dimension.

SUMMARY OF THE lNVENTlON According to the invention, this object is realized by a sleeve of the kind hereinbefore mentioned, wherein the shell of the sleeve comprises uniformly distributed elements which are elastically and plastically yielding in both diagonal directions and are thereby capable of shortening and rigid diagonal webs connecting the yielding elements.

ln view of tlie yieldingness of the yielding elements, there results a simultaneous shortening of these elements in the longitudinal and transverse directions, when these elements yield. Due to the connection of the yielding element by the diagonal webs, the yielding elements yield in both diagonal directions, without regard to whether the sleeve is compressed in the axial or in the radial direction. Consequently, when the sleeve is axially compressed, its diameter is necessarily reduced at the same time, and vice versa, when it is radially compressed. it becomes necessarily shorter in the axial direction.

According to the material used for the sleeve, the application of suitable pressures and temperatures will result in an elastic and/or plastic yieldingness of its yielding elements. ll, as in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the sleeve is made of a thermoplastic material, such as polypropylene for example, the yielding elements will be elastically deformable at room temperature, and both elastically and plastically deformable at higher temperature.

According to the invention, in the sleeve, the yielding elements and the connecting diagonal webs may be integral. This construction of the sleeve is particularly suitable for manufacture from plastics.

According to another feature of the invention, the yielding elements of the sleeve are arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows. This configuration offers advantages from the point of view of uniform yieldingness of the sleeve, and is also advantageous for winding on the unreeling of threads and yarns.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the yielding elements may have an annular configuration with the diagonal webs connected to their periphery. Accordingly, the yielding elements may have a circular, oval, square, rectangular or polygonal form. The annular configuration of the yielding elements is particularly suitable to produce their yieldingness. Apart from that, this construction of the yielding elements permits simple connection of the diagonal webs. In order to further improve the desired yieldingness of the yielding elements, according to the invention, the yielding elements may have an angular configuration, for example with rounded-off comers, with kinking and bending points, serving to improve their yieldingness, wherein the diagonal webs are connected to these kinking and bending points. This configuration produces the deformation of the yielding elements by kinking and bending thereof at certain points.

According to yet another feature of the invention the ends of the sleeve shell may be provided with end rings and the diagonal webs at the ends of the sleeve shell may be integral with the end rings. The end rings are of advantage for axial compression of the sleeve and for winding up and unreeling of threads and yarns.

Finally, in a preferred embodiment of the sleeve of the invention, the yielding elements may have a star-shaped configuration and consist each of four angled side portions with two legs of each side portion form an obtuse angle directed diagonally to the center of the element and form, with the legs of the adjacent side portion acute angles pointing away from the center of the elements in the longitudinal and transverse directions, the diagonal webs being connected to the apices of the said obtuse angles, two diagonal webs between any four yielding elements are arranged in the form of a cross.

In order to facilitate the winding of threads and yarns to be treated on the sleeve, to improve the supporting of the threads and yarns by the sleeve, and to simplify the unreeling of the treated threads and yarns from the sleeve, the latter may also be equipped with other parts, apart from the yielding elements, the diagonal webs and the end rings. Thus, the sleeve shell may be provided with parts issuing from the yielding elements or from the diagonal webs and serving to locate the threads or yarns.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a side elevation of a sleeve according to the invention in the normal condition;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sleeve shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows the same sleeve in side elevation in the radially and axially compressed state; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the sleeve of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The sleeve shown in the drawing is made of a thermoplastic material and its shell has yielding elements I and rigid diagonal webs II, I2, connecting the same. Both the yielding elements I0 and the rigid diagonal webs II, 12 connecting the same are equidistantly arranged over the shell of the sleeve. The yielding elements are arranged to form equidistantly spaced-apart longitudinal and transverse rows, and two diagonal webs II and I2 are arranged between every four yielding elements in the form ofa cross.

At the end of the sleeve shell, the sleeve has rigid end rings l3, 14. These end rings 13, I4 are connected to the yielding elements 10 by means of diagonal webs Ila, 12a, the length of which is only halfthe length of the diagonal webs ll, 12.

The yielding elements 10, the diagonal webs l1, Ila, I2, I20, and the end rings I3, I4 are made in one piece.

Each yielding element 10 is formed by a piece of material of star-shaped configuration, consisting of four angled side portions I5, each with two legs 16, I7. The two legs 16, 17 of each side portion form an obtuse angle facing diagonally towards the center of their yielding element I0. In addition, the two legs I6, 17 of each side portion form with the legs 17, 16 of the adjacent side portions 15 acute angles, pointing away from the center of their yielding element II) in the lon gitudinal and transverse directions. The side portions I5 of the yielding elements II) are of rectangular cross section, with the narrow side of the rectangle on the inner and outer surfaces of the sleeve shell, and the wider sides extending substantially radially.

Owing to the star shape of the yielding elements 10 and of the configuration and arrangement of the side portions I5, each element 10 has four inner apices I8, the connecting lines of which are located in both diagonal directions, and four external apices I9, the connecting lines of which are in the longitudinal and transverse directions. These apices I8 and I9 form kinking and bending points serving to improve the yieldingness of the elements It The diagonal webs II, I2 connecting the yielding elements 10 are provided at the inner apices I8 of the yielding elements III. The diagonal webs II extend between two yielding elements III in one diagonal, and the diagonal webs I2 extend between two yielding elements It) in the other diagonal, resulting in a cross-shaped arrangement of the diagonal webs II, I2 between four yielding elements It).

The diagonal webs Ila, I211, whereby the end rings I3, 14 are connected to the yielding elements It) at the ends of the shell of the sleeve, are connected to the inner apices I8 of the elements III, facing the ends of the sleeve. The diagonal webs Ila, I211, extend in diagonal directions corresponding to the webs II and I2.

The diagonal webs II, I2 between the yielding elements I0, and the diagonal webs Ila, llZa at the ends of the sleeves are also of rectangular cross section; the narrow sides of the rectangles are on the inner and outer surfaces of the sleeve, whilst the wider sides extend substantially in the radial direction.

Also the end rings I3, I4 at the ends of the shell of the sleeve are of rectangular cross section, so that the narrow sides thereof are on the inside and outside of the shell, with the wider sides extending substantially radially However. compared with the yielding elements I0 and the diagonal webs I I. I la, I2, 12a, the end rings are thicker.

Instead of the rectangular cross section shown for the yielding elements II), the diagonal webs II, I2, Ila, 12a, and the end rings I3. I4, their cross section may also be conical, with an otherwise identical arrangement.

When the sleeve is axially compressed from the position of FIGS. I and 2 into the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a corresponding pressure is exerted on the yielding elements I0, by means of the diagonal webs Ila, 12a and II, I2. Under this pressure, the yielding elements I0 yield in both diagonal directions. This results in a reduction of the gap between the apices 18 located in both diagonals, as well as of the gap between the apices I9 of the yielding elements I0, located partly in the longitudinal and partly in the transverse direction. Consequently, during axial compression of the sleeve there occurs, simultaneously with its axial shortening. also necessarily a reduction of its diameter as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

However, the sleeve can also be moved from the position shown in FIGS. I and 2 into the position of FIGS. 3 and 4 by means of radial compression. When the sleeve is radially com pressed, the same pressure is exerted by means of the webs ll, Ila, l2 and 12a on the yielding elements I0 as in the case of the axial compression. Also here the yielding elements I0 yield in both diagonal directions, causing the distance between their apices 18, located in the diagonals and between their apices 19, located partly longitudinally and partly transversely, to be decreased. Thus, also with radial compression, the reduction of the diameter of the sleeve is accompanied by a simultaneous reduction of its axial extent.

Both with axial compression and with radial compression of the sleeve, there results the deformation of the side portions 15 of the yielding elements 10, as shown in FIG. 3, wherein both the angles formed at the inner apices I8, and the angles formed at the outer apices I9 by the legs 16, I7, become more acute. This also results, as shown in FIG. 3, in a deformation of the diagonal webs Ila, 1211, located at the ends of the sleeve shell and connected to the end rings I3, 14, to the interior of the sleeve.

Iclaim:

I. A sleeve of thermoplastic material for treatment of textile threads and yarns having a shell, wherein the shell comprises uniformly distributed elements elastically and plastically yielding in both diagonal directions and being thereby capable of shortening, and rigid diagonal webs connecting the yielding elements.

2. A sleeve as claimed in claim I, wherein the yielding elements and the connecting diagonal webs are integral.

3. A sleeve as claimed in claim I, wherein the yielding elements are arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows.

4. A sleeve as claimed in claim I, wherein each yielding element is of angular configuration, the diagonal webs being connected to the peripheries of the yielding elements.

5. A sleeve as claimed in claim 4, wherein each yielding ele ment is of angular configuration with kinking and bending points serving to improve its yieldingness, the diagonal webs being connected to the kinking and bending points.

6. A sleeve as claimed in claim 5, wherein each yielding element has rounded corners.

7. A sleeve as claimed in claim I, wherein the ends of the sleeve have end rings and the diagonal webs at the ends of the sleeve are integral with the end rings.

8. A sleeve as claimed in claim 5, wherein the yielding ele ments are star-shaped and consist each of four angled side portions with two legs, wherein the two legs of each side portion form an obtuse angle directed diagonally towards the center of the elements, and form, with the legs of the adjacent angle side portions acute angles pointing away from the center of the elements in the longitudinal and transverse directions the diagonal webs being connected to the apices of the said obtuse angles, two diagonal webs between any four yielding elements are arranged in the shape of a cross. 

1. A sleeve of thermoplastic material for treatment of textile threads and yarns having a shell, wherein the shell comprises uniformly distributed elements elastically and plastically yielding in both diagonal directions and being thereby capable of shortening, and rigid diagonal webs connecting the yielding elements.
 2. A sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the yielding elements and the connecting diagonal webs are integral.
 3. A sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the yielding elements are arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows.
 4. A sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein each yielding element is of angular configuration, the diagonal webs being connected to the peripheries of the yielding elements.
 5. A sleeve as claimed in claim 4, whErein each yielding element is of angular configuration with kinking and bending points serving to improve its yieldingness, the diagonal webs being connected to the kinking and bending points.
 6. A sleeve as claimed in claim 5, wherein each yielding element has rounded corners.
 7. A sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ends of the sleeve have end rings and the diagonal webs at the ends of the sleeve are integral with the end rings.
 8. A sleeve as claimed in claim 5, wherein the yielding elements are star-shaped and consist each of four angled side portions with two legs, wherein the two legs of each side portion form an obtuse angle directed diagonally towards the center of the elements, and form, with the legs of the adjacent angle side portions acute angles pointing away from the center of the elements in the longitudinal and transverse directions the diagonal webs being connected to the apices of the said obtuse angles, two diagonal webs between any four yielding elements are arranged in the shape of a cross. 